Page 11 of Monster's Hunt

“My parents died when I was young, and the only family I had left was here.”

I wanted to ask her what had happened, but I could tell it was a sensitive subject, and I wanted her fresh scent back.

“I live at the top of the mountains, but far from here. One of my clanmates came here last fall and told us of a great water and a huge village like no other, so I came to see if it was true.”

Her brows rose again, the sparkle coming back to her eyes.

“You mean the ocean? I’ve heard it goes for as far as you can sail in an entire moon! I’ve always wanted to see it.”

“Why have you not? It’s not far.”

Her face fell again, and I wanted to bite my tongue for chasing away the excitement I’d seen for a moment.

“I’m not allowed. My days are… busy.”

My instincts said she wasn’t quite telling me the truth, but I let it go. I wouldn’t cause her more sadness if I could help it. Instead, I told her of how I’d found Wulf, and how he almost tumbled off the cliffs into the water while he was running from me.

We kept talking as we walked through the morning, Wulf playing around our feet, chasing the rabbits and squirrels we flushed from the brush. Ivy seemed to enjoy the stories of my hunts, though she’d fallen quiet as her breathing grew more labored. I slowed further and had her drink more water I’d gotten from leaves, but I knew she was already tired.

A hawk dove from overhead, catching one of the squirrels Wulf was chasing and infuriating the pup. He growled at the bird as it took his prey to a limb and began to dismember it, though he was quite excited when it began dropping the bits it didn’t want.

I was surprised by Ivy’s laughter as she watched, the gore not bothering her as I’d thought it would. She was grinning when she looked up at me, those deep, dark eyes sparkling. Her chuckle was throaty, her flushed cheeks and the light sheen of sweat giving her a glow that sent a rush of blood straight to my cock once again. I’d already been fighting off the effect of her scent, but her happiness was too much to resist, and walking with a constant erection was uncomfortable.

“Why don’t we take a break?”

She looked like she wanted to argue as she glanced up at the position of the sun, but I took off my pack and sat on the grass at the base of a tree, so she didn’t have much choice but to stop. Wulf ran over to lie against my leg, while Ivy took a seat against a nearby rock.

I wished I had more water for her, but we hadn’t come across a stream yet, though I was sure I remembered passing one the previous day. I knew omegas were more susceptible to dehydration than the other dynamics, and I worried she would grow ill if we didn’t find water soon.

Once I was sure she’d had time to rest, I stood and lifted my pack again, determined to find water. Ivy blinked up at me as if she was half asleep, and I considered offering to carry her, but I doubted she would allow it.

And I doubted I’d be able to resist the feel of her in my arms again.

Chapter Eight

Ivy

The stream De’drik led me to didn’t look like the one I’d eaten my lunch beside. I shrugged away the weird wiggle in my belly over not knowing where I was, figuring we were farther upstream than the little clearing. I found it strange that I hadn’t recognized anything yet despite how far we’d walked, but he could have carried me farther than I’d thought.

Sighing, I scooped up a handful of water to wash my face and neck. The increasing heat of the day was making the air beneath the trees thick as it evaporated the moisture from the rain, causing me to sweat and making my skin itchy.

De’drik filled his jug, but I drank from my hands instead of making him have to refill it. With his size, he likely needed more water than I did, and I felt a little guilty when I realized he hadn’t had any water the whole day since he’d given the last of it to me.

When was the last time someone had put my needs before their own?

Looking up through a break in the treetops, I studied the mountains, trying to see if I recognized anything. If we kept walking away from them, we would either find the town or the river, but I couldn’t tell how far away we were.

Shaking my head, I berated myself for walking farther than I’d thought before the storm hit. With De’drik’s longer stride, I had no idea how far he’d carried me while I slept. I could only hope I’d make it home before dark since I’d already spent a night away. I doubted anyone would notice since my family would still be in Perlynn, but it made my chest tight to think about them returning and finding me gone.

I rose to follow De’drik again when he stood. I kept an eye on our surroundings as we walked, expecting to recognize something as the day wore on, but eventually the light shining through the leaves overhead began to fade. De’drik kept glancing at me, and I could only guess he was waiting for a sign of recognition, or a signal to stop for the night. Nothing looked familiar, and I couldn’t do anything but shake my head and sigh as I keep going.

“How far can we be?” I muttered under my breath.

The monster’s ear flicked, but he didn’t respond even if he’d heard me.

My anxiety grew as the light leached from the sky. Bad enough that I was almost tempted to ask the alpha at my side to purr for me.

We walked on until it grew so dark beneath the canopy that I was stumbling over sticks in our path. Sucking in a deep breath, I rubbed my face, forced to concede defeat. My head was throbbing, and I had no idea if we were anywhere close to Barcole since I couldn’t see.

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